A prominent member of the ANC has raised questions about the speed at which government is implementing manufacturing and infrastructure policies to boost economic growth.

ANC’s national executive committee member and executive director of the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection, Joel Netshitenzhe, questioned the pace at which government is implementing key policies aimed at boosting economic growth.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 2014 African Transformation Report launch, Netshitenzhe questioned whether the country’s infrastructure programme is being efficiently implemented.He also questioned whether the Industrial Policy Action Plan is being properly implemented, saying it would need swifter implementation to improve competitiveness. “If you look at the trend over a number of years, there is much more that we need to do in so far as productivity is concerned,” he told BusinessDay Live.

This follows Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s budget speech last week where he announced an R847 billion infrastructure spend for the next three years. Spending on infrastructure amounted to R1 trillion over the past five years and Gordhan says the Presidential Infrastructure Coordination Commission is now making progress in overcoming infrastructure backlogs and investing for more inclusive growth and development.